Rias Baixas episode 3 of a five-part series: redefining Albariño, emerging styles, ageworthy wines, and the Condado do Tea subregion with special guest Isabel Salgado, winemaker at Fillaboa. In this episode we shift our focus over to the Condado do Tea sub-region. Condado de Tea is the second largest sub-region of the five, behind the Salnès Valley. It starts inland from O Rosal about 40 kilometres from the coast along the course of the Minho River into rugged, mountainous territory. The region gets its name from a tributary of the Miño, called the Tea River, which runs through Condado do Tea (the “County of Tea”). As the most inland of the sub-regions, it’s the least Atlantic, although there is no question that all of Rias Baixas can be considered a maritime terroir. But, it's less directly affected by cooling marine breezes making it warmer overall. The soils are quite shallow here, with granite and slate sub-layers quite near the surface, with plenty of alluvial material along with pebbles and sand on top, deposited by both the Tea and the Miño rivers. Albariño is, again, the major grape, but Treixadura is the second variety of choice, which has a firm, steely structure, high acids and apple-y flavours.
Today the Wine Thieves talk with Isabel Salgado, winemaker at the Fillaboa Estate, one of the oldest estates in Galicia and one of the largest in the land registry of Pontevedra. It features an exquisite garden of camellias, olive trees, and magnolias along with 50 hectares of vineyard divided into 12 parcels, mostly south-facing on the north (or right bank) of the Miño River. Isabel shares her thoughts on emerging styles of Albariño, including a wine she makes that spends 6 years ageing on lees before bottling, and experiment to extend the ageability of this variety so often consumed young.
Join Isabella, John and Sara as they explore more unique facets of albariño when grown in this inland region on the pebbly soils left by the Tea and Miño Rivers.
Salud!
Episode sponsored by D.O. Rias Baixas, content exclusively by The Wine Thieves®